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54 A sound of an outcry comes from Babylon,
and great destruction
from the land of the Chaldeans,
55 because the Lord has devastated Babylon,
and destroyed the great voice out of her.
When her waves roar like great waters,
a noise of their voice is uttered.
56 Because the destroyer is coming against her, even upon Babylon,
and her mighty men will be captured,
every one of their bows are broken.
For the Lord is a God of recompense;
He will completely repay.
57 I will make her officials drunk, and her wise men,
her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men;
and they will sleep a perpetual sleep, and not awake,
says the King whose name is the Lord of Hosts.
58 Thus says the Lord of Hosts:
The broad wall of Babylon will be utterly broken,
and her high gates will be burned with fire;
and the peoples will labor in vain,
and the nations become exhausted only for fire.
Jeremiah’s Command to Seraiah
59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was a quartermaster. 60 So Jeremiah wrote in a single scroll all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon. 61 Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you come to Babylon, then see that you read aloud all these words, 62 and say, ‘O Lord, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, that no one will remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate forever.’ 63 It will be that when you have made an end of reading this scroll that you will bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Thus Babylon will sink and not rise from the disaster that I will bring upon her, and they will become weary.’ ”
Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
The Fall of Jerusalem Reviewed(A)
52 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 Through the anger of the Lord this came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah until He had cast them out from His presence.
Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4 In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it; they built a siege wall all around it. 5 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6 In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was so severe in the city that there was no bread for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was breached, and all the men of war fled and went out of the city by night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city, and they went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him.
9 Then they took the king and carried him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath where he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also slew all the officials of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and the king of Babylon bound him in chains and carried him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.
The Temple Burned
12 Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard who served the king of Babylon came into Jerusalem, 13 and burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem. Even all the large houses, he burned with fire. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people, and the rest of the people who remained in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
17 Also the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and the stands, and the bronze sea that was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 The cauldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of bronze with which they ministered, they took away. 19 The captain of the guard also took away the basins, and the fire pans, and the bowls, and the cauldrons, and the lampstands, and the spoons, and the cups, what was of fine gold, and what was of fine silver.
20 The two pillars, one sea, and twelve bronze bulls that were under the bases, which King Solomon had made in the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 21 Concerning the pillars: the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and it was twelve cubits in circumference and in thickness it was four fingers,[a] and hollow. 22 A capital of bronze was upon it, and the height of one capital was five cubits,[b] with network and pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like these. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.
The Babylonian Exile
24 The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three officers of the temple. 25 He also took out of the city one official who had charge of the men of war, and seven men of the advisers of the king who were found in the city, and the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. 26 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah. 27 The king of Babylon struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath.
Thus Judah was carried away captive out of its own land. 28 These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive:
in the seventh year three thousand and twenty-three Jews.
29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar
he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two persons.
30 In the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar,
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred and forty-five.
All the persons were four thousand and six hundred.
Jehoiachin Released(B)
31 In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Awel-Marduk, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison, 32 and spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 Therefore Jehoiachin changed his prison garments and continually ate meals before him all the days of his life. 34 For his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion all the days of his life until the day of his death.
Maintain Good Deeds
3 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey them, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, not to be contentious, but gentle, showing all humility toward everyone.
3 We also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various desires and pleasures, living in evil and envy, filled with hatred and hating each other. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of rebirth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you constantly to affirm, so that those who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to everyone.
9 But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, contentions, and arguments about the law, for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.
Personal Instructions and Greetings
12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, be diligent to come to me in Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Diligently send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey. See that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people also learn to continue doing good works to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unproductive.
15 All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with you all. Amen.
Psalm 100
A Psalm of thanksgiving.
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord, He is God;
it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise;
be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy endures forever,
and His faithfulness to all generations.
18 As a madman who casts
firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 so is the man who deceives his neighbor,
and says, “I was only joking.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.